25: Willow eyebrows have appeared! A reward far exceeding any previous one! All things rejoice!
The next day.
On the Taihang Mountain Peak, a pair of golden eyes slowly opened.
Xu Qing turned his head to look in the direction of Dongshu Village.
With a thought.
His nearly sixty-meter body slithered down the mountain.
The green snake vanished into the forest, speeding towards the edge of the Taihang Mountains.
Before long.
Xu Qing saw the Old Earth God, Zhu Gang, who wore a joyful expression.
"Did you summon me?" the green snake lowered his head to look at the little old man in front of him.
Zhu Gang looked up at Xu Qing; even though he had met him twice, he still felt immense pressure rising within him.
"It is I. This time, I have happy news to inform the Great Immortal!"
"Happy news?"
"It is happy news!"
Zhu Gang nodded repeatedly and recounted the information transmitted from the Fengyang City God Temple in detail.
After listening, Xu Qing only felt it was laughable.
When these fellows were alive as humans, they considered their own interests in everything and engaged in those under-the-table rules of the imperial court.
After death, they were appointed as Underworld Officials, yet they still couldn't avoid those vulgar habits!
In the end, they were nothing more than a group of ordinary people possessing extraordinary power.
Once their own interests were involved, they had no bottom line at all.
"Have the officials of the Great Gan always been like this?" Xu Qing asked.
Zhu Gang sensed Xu Qing's meaning and said bitterly, "Previously, such cases were few, but ever since the current Emperor ascended the throne, the world has changed."
The Old Earth God spoke a bit more.
Xu Qing also learned about the situation of the current Great Gan Emperor.
The current Emperor of the Great Gan has the era name Jingtai.
In his youth, Emperor Jingtai was a man of great strategy, expanding the territory of the Great Gan by more than thirty percent, but by middle age, a huge change occurred.
He stayed in the deep palace for a long time, ignored state affairs, and allowed the prime minister to seize power.
The atmosphere of the world gradually changed.
After a while.
Xu Qing returned to the jungle.
As he was leaving, he saw a few wisps of green Qi appear in Dongshu Village, slowly flying towards him.
The title of Mountain God began to spread slowly to more and more villages.
Xu Qing was in a great mood, and the pressure eased somewhat.
The Fengyang City God had temporarily conceded, so he didn't need to be cautious about the human side for a short time.
As long as nothing happened in the mountains.
He would welcome the second wave of System rewards.
...
Time passed in a flash.
Several months later, the temperature plummeted.
On the peak of the Taihang Mountains, a giant green snake coiled, its golden vertical pupils scanning the surroundings, watching the forest that had turned completely white with snow.
A thousand miles were frozen, and snow drifted for ten thousand miles.
The river between the Taihang Mountains and Profound Yin Mountain had frozen over, thick snow covered every part of the forest, creatures capable of hibernation had fallen into a deep sleep, and a few creatures were struggling to forage in the snow.
A semi-transparent System panel appeared.
Xu Qing discovered that the number of his Offspring had decreased slightly.
Survival in the deep mountains was brutal; some mortal Offspring had not survived.
Now that the mountains were covered in heavy snow, most likely some would not make it.
Xu Qing glanced at the nest, where a few small snakes were curiously looking at the scenery outside from the edge of the nest.
Those were the Offspring that had undergone demonization.
There were too many mortal Offspring, and Xu Qing didn't have the energy to protect them one by one; some deaths were inevitable.
Moreover, if they did not undergo demonization, snakes, being cold-blooded animals, would not have any feelings for him as their father.
Suddenly, Xu Qing looked in one direction.
In the snowy white world, there were vaguely a few black dots walking with difficulty.
With heavy snow sealing the mountains, one had to go deeper to find prey.
Because of this, the Incense Offerings Xu Qing had collected recently were more abundant, and the quality was much higher than before.
Xu Qing shook his head, shaking off large patches of accumulated snow.
He returned to the nest, where Liu Mei was coiled in the deepest part.
The life force emanating from her abdomen was becoming increasingly intense; it looked like the time for giving birth was approaching!
A glimmer of anticipation flashed in Xu Qing's eyes.
Liu Mei's foundation was good, and her strength was also decent.
Most of the Offspring between them would likely undergo demonization.
After speaking a few words with Liu Mei and checking on the small snakes, Xu Qing went down the mountain again.
Besides Liu Mei, the other wives were also about to give birth.
He was about to welcome a big harvest.
To ensure their safety, Xu Qing would come to patrol every day.
His voice was low and gentle, giving many of his wives a strong sense of security.
Not only that, every time he reached a cave, he would take out a few Vermilion Fruits for them to nourish their bodies.
He inspected the caves one by one.
Just as Xu Qing walked out of the 81st wife's cave.
A familiar prompt sound rang out in his mind.
"Your 3110th Offspring has been born. Its mother possesses five hundred years of Cultivation Level. It was born having undergone demonization, with superior talent. You have gained fifty years of Cultivation Level!"
Liu Mei has given birth!!
Xu Qing was stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted, overjoyed, turning into a streak of green light and rushing towards the Taihang Mountain Peak.
A moment later.
Xu Qing returned to the nest at the top of the mountain and immediately saw a huge snake egg appearing beside Liu Mei!
"Husband!"
Liu Mei softly spoke when she saw Xu Qing, sounding somewhat weak.
"I am here."
Xu Qing came to her side, and with a thought.
With a "clatter."
A pile of Vermilion Fruits containing Spiritual Qi appeared beside Liu Mei.
"If you are tired, eat a few. I have plenty of these anyway," Xu Qing said.
Just as he was speaking.
Another snake egg appeared.
"Your 3111th Offspring has been born. Its mother has Cultivation Level, with medium talent. You have gained thirty years of Cultivation Level!"
The prompt sound had just appeared.
One snake egg after another appeared!
"Your 3112th Offspring has been born, with superior talent. You have gained fifty years of Cultivation Level!"
"Your 3113th Offspring has been born, with medium talent. You have gained thirty years of Cultivation Level!"
In just a short while, Xu Qing had gained one hundred and sixty years of Cultivation Level!
It was almost one-fifth of what he had before!
At the same time.
"Detected that the host's Offspring that have undergone demonization have reached 20. You have gained the Divine Ability: Earthly Fiend Techniques -- Swallowing Soldiers!"
"Earthly Fiend Techniques -- Swallowing Soldiers: Can swallow weapons into the abdomen and make them one's own!"
"Your 3114th Offspring has been born..."
As one snake egg after another appeared, the prompt sounds rang out continuously.
What surprised Xu Qing was that the Offspring born to Liu Mei were basically all those that had undergone demonization!
After a while.
Ten huge, pale green snake eggs appeared in the nest.
Each snake egg was comparable in size to a four or five-year-old human child.
Inside, one could faintly see small snakes swimming.
Thick Demonic Qi emanated from the snake eggs, permeating the entire nest.
Liu Mei had given birth to ten Offspring, all of them at the demonization level!
This brought Xu Qing an incredibly pure and vast power!
A dull roaring sound rang out within his body, and his body was slowly growing longer.
In order to avoid hurting the snake eggs and Liu Mei, Xu Qing first exited the nest.
Arriving at the mountain peak, the System panel appeared before his eyes.
【Name: Xu Qing】
【Identity: Snake God of Mount Taihang】
【Bloodline: Ancient Return (520 / 1000)】
【Body Length: 64 meters】
【Cultivation Level: 1430 years】
【Number of Offspring: 3119】
【Earthly Fiend Techniques: Swallowing Soldiers, Spirit Expulsion, Wind Borrowing, Light Generation, Soul Seizing, Spitting Flame, Guiding】
【Spells: Five Thunders Incantation, Spirit Eyes, Divine Movement Technique】
Looking at the data on the System panel, Xu Qing roared up at the sky.
A fierce wind rose, and boundless falling snow danced.
The sound of wind rang out in the mountain streams, and countless plants and trees swayed their leaves.
The Offspring of the Lord of Taihang Mountains was born, and all things in the mountains celebrated.